Death toll from Texas floods reaches at least 43; dozens still missing

At least 43 people, including 15 children, have been confirmed dead following flash floods in central Texas, authorities said on Saturday as rescuers continued a frantic search for dozens more campers, vacationers and residents who were still missing.

- 

The casualty toll will likely rise, authorities said, as localities beyond the main site of the disaster in Kerr County were affected by the flooding. A Travis County official said four people had died from the flooding there, with 13 unaccounted for, and officials reported another death in Kendall County.

Some news organizations reported the death toll was already as high as 52. Reuters could not confirm that.

Officials said more than 850 people had been rescued, including some clinging to trees, after a sudden storm dumped up to 15 inches (38 centimeters) of rain in an area around the Guadalupe River, about 85 miles (140 kilometers) northwest of San Antonio.

Among the missing were 27 girls from the Camp Mystic summer camp, Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice told a press conference on Saturday evening, and there may be others beyond that.

Mr. Rice said 27 people were known to be missing, but “we will not put a number on the other side because we just don’t know.”

The disaster unfolded rapidly on Friday morning as heavier-than-forecast rain drove river waters rapidly to as high as 29 feet (9 meters).

“We know that the rivers rise, but nobody saw this coming,” said Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the top local official in the region.

Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said 17 of the confirmed dead, including five children, had yet to be identified.